Book of account.



PATENTED FEB. 4, 1908.

W. T. MAODOUGALL.

BOOK OF ACCOUNT.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 20, 1007.

' FIG. 1

FIG. 2

WILLIAM T. MACDOUGALL, OF WOODBRIDGE, NEW JERSEY.

BOOK OF ACCOUNT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 4,1908.

Application filed February 20. 1907. Serial No. 358.503.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, IVILLIAM T. MAO- DOUGALL, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of WVoodbridge, county of MiddleseX, State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Books of Account, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 illustrates an endwise view of a book embodying the invention; Fig. 2 illustrates an endwise view of the book shown in Fig. 1, opened; Fig. 3 illustrates an elevation of the corrugated binding strip shown in flat condition Fig. 4 illustrates the method of attaching the several sections of the interior of the book to the corrugated binding strip.

The principal cost in the manufacture of high-grade books of the class under contemplation, that is to say, lodgers, journals, cash books, and the like, particularly those used by banks, railroads, insurance companies, large commercial houses, etc., as now made and sold, is the construction and finish of the backs and covers. They have to be substantially, hence expensively made, and are frequently metal bound and otherwise equipped to such a degree that more than half the total cost of the book is chargeable to the cover, back and finishings. One of the purposes of this present invention, therefore, is to so make the book that the back and covers being once substantially and perhaps expensively made, will serve for an indefinite number of interiors. Again, books of account of the class stated, when once filled, are almost invariably stored away for future reference and the space required for such storage, and the weight of the books so stored, becomes, after a time, a matter of serious consideration. Another feature, therefore, of this present invention is to so construct the book and its back and covers that its interior may be readily separated from the covers and back, yet leaving the spring back binding, which holds the interior of the book together, still intact and forming part of the interior, so that the thus bound interior alone may be removed from the covers and back for storage and preservation, a new interior being then in turn inserted within the formerly used covers and back, until its removal is in turn desired, and so on indefinitely.

Another important feature of my invention is that the book is made up of a series of sections, each section having its own connection with the spring back, so that, if desired, any particular section may be removed from the covers and back without disturbing or in any wise effecting the remaining sections, which may again be replaced within theeovers and back, if desired.

Referring to the drawings, A, A, represent the outside covers, and B the back, which may be made of metal, leather, preferably pigskin, hard rubber, or any other suitable material. If flexible, it may be attached to the covers by gluing, or otherwise; but since I prefer to make it inflexible, as of hard rubber, or metal, I prefer to attach it to the covers by hinges C, C. There may be a continuous hinge running clear across the edges of the covers, or a series of hinges, as preferred.

D is what I term a corrugated spring back or strip. It may be made thin and flexible and of metal, preferably a sheet of brass, or other non-oxidizing material, or it may be made of leather, preferably pigskin, or any other suitable flexible material. It is corrugated, as shown, and at each side there is a strip E extending the entire length of the back, which is bent in the shape shown and fastened, as by rivets, screw bolts, or stitching 1*, as preferred, to the back B. I prefer to pass these stitching or confining devices through one of the leaves of the hinges C, as

shown, thus giving a neat and finished appearance.

The interior of the book in other words, the leaves thereof, are preferably made in sections or signatures, (see best Fig. l). Three only of the sections are shown, marked respectively G, H, and J, which may represent the central sections as illustrated in-Fig. 2. These sections may contain any desired number of leaves, folded upon themselves, as shown. The size, in other words, the thickness, of the section will depend upon the size of the corrugations in the binding strip D, or vice versa, as the case may be. The sections may be stitched, or otherwise attached, to the tops of the corrugations, by stitches, as at K, which pass through holes L made in the tops of the corrugations, as shown best in Fig. 3.

The construction and advantages are obvious. As stated above, the covers and the back may be made of expensive material and given a high finish, with expensive corner pieces, ribbing, lettering, etc. which will add to their durability and appearance. When open, the covers lie flat, withoutany spring action whatever tending to their closure; this is due largely to the fact that the corrugations of the backing strip are not confined at either their upper or lower edges. Consequently they are free to separate and they naturally assume such position as the place at which the book is opened requires, and the leaves of the section at which the opening occurs likewise lie flat, without spring action tending to their closure.

When the book is filled, or for other reason its use is to be discontinued, the attaching devices F, which connect the binding strip 1) with the back, are detached, as for instance by unscrewing, and thereupon the entire interior of the book, that is to say, the leaves, together with the corrugated binding strip D, which comes away with them, will slide bodily out from between the covers and away from the back, ready for storage, or

- other disposition, whereupon another interior, or set of leaf sections, duly connected with their corrugated binding strip, may be inserted between the covers, to be in turn attached to the back by appropriate engagement of the attaching devices F therewith, as before.

It will be noted that if at any time it shall become desirable to remove one of the sections of the interior, that by removing the interior of the book from the covers and back, as just described, the stitches K, or other confining means, may be cut or loosened, and one or more of the sections removed, as desired, which may be subsequently replaced after the occasion for removal has been accomplished.

It will be further noted that the interior when removed from the covers and back still remains a complete bound book, intact by itself, adapted to all the uses of such a structure, and if desired, upon the outside lateral sections of the leaves a false binding or relatively stiff protecting sheet, not shown, may be included, to which the binding strip E may be attached, if desired. This, however, is of such infrequent desirability that I have not illustrated it in the drawings.

It will be obvious to those who are familiar with such matters that modifications may be made in the details of construction of the invention without departing from the essentials thereof. I therefore do not limit myself to the details.

I claim:

1. A book embodying covers and a back permanently hinged together, an interior comprising a flexible corrugated binding strip provided with means whereby it may be'attached to and detached from the back at will, both the inner and outer ridges of the binding strip being free to separate from each other when the book is opened, and a series of leaves bound in sections to the binding strip.

2. A book embodying covers and a back permanently hinged together, an interior comprising a flexible corrugated binding strip provided with means whereby it may be attached to and detached from the back at will, both the inner and outer ridges of the binding strip being free to separate from each other when the book is opened, and a series of leaf sections, each section being separately bound to the binding strip.

3. A book embodying covers and a back permanently hinged together, an interior comprising a flexible corrugated binding strip provided with laterally projecting flexible strips adapted to engage the back whereby the interior may be attached to and detached from the back at will, both the inner and outer ridges of the binding strip being free to separate from each other when the book is opened, and means for attaching the laterally projecting flexible strips to the back, and leaves folded upon themselves and connected with the binding strip.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

I/VILLIAM T. MAGDOUGALL.

Witnesses:

F. M. DONSBACH, VINCENT SoULLY. 

